


Carry My Smile With You

by IceBlueRose



Category: High School Musical, Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-22
Updated: 2011-03-22
Packaged: 2017-10-17 05:02:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/173174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceBlueRose/pseuds/IceBlueRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A vision of Sam's leads him and Dean to discover a series of deaths at Juilliard. Posing as federal agents, they begin searching for the thing responsible. During the investigation, Sam meets Ryan Evans, a senior connected to the victim in Sam's vision and someone who knows what he wants - and what he wants is Sam. As he and Ryan grow closer, Sam can only hope that he and Dean solve the case - before Ryan becomes the next victim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carry My Smile With You

  


Sam knew it was a vision. He didn’t need the blinding pain of the usual headache to know that, not when he opened his eyes only to find himself in what had to be a dance studio. One wall was made entirely of mirrors, the hardwood floors shone in the faint light coming in from one of the windows high up on the wall.

There was also the fact that when he looked in the mirror, he saw a young woman that couldn’t be any older than he was. Long dark hair, big brown eyes, and he was feeling much shorter than he usually did.

She turned and glanced out the window, smiling at the familiar sight. She wasn’t any different from most students at Juilliard – it’d been her dream to attend the university from the moment she’d fallen in love with performing. She’d been determined to get in and she’d worked damn hard to make it happen.

She frowned at a noise coming from the storage closet at the far end of the room, turning away from the window and moving closer to the sound.

 _Ryan, is that you?_

Her voice was nothing more than an echo in the studio and she bit her lip. If this was just David screwing around and trying to scare her, she was going to kill him.

 _Hello?_

She paused outside of the storage closet, hesitating a moment, before pushing the door open. She didn’t even have time to scream before she was yanked inside the closet, pain erupting from first one leg and then the other. She opened her mouth to scream and was cut off as a sharp, stabbing pain exploded in her neck, causing her body to jerk—

“Sam!” Dean’s panic was clear in his voice and if Sam could answer, he would, but all he was capable of at the moment was gasping for air and praying his head hadn’t split open.

Strong hands gripped his shoulders and Sam focused on that grip as his breath slowed down. He groaned.

“Sammy?” Dean lifted his head carefully, waiting until Sam had opened his eyes to raise an eyebrow at him. “You okay?”

Sam nodded, wincing slightly at the motion. “I’m fine.” He let out a breath.

Dean stared at him for a few moments as if to be sure he was telling the truth. Sam’s visions and the aftermaths were getting more intense and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to be handling this.

Finally, he nodded, satisfied that Sam was okay, and tilted his head down a bit. “What did you see?”

Letting out another breath, Sam looked up at Dean. “It looks like we’re going to New York.”

~*~*~

“I hate this city,” Dean said as he walked into the motel room. Sam looked up, raising an eyebrow. Dean shook his head at the silent question. “It’s a pain in the ass to drive anywhere and when you do, you can’t find parking. I had to park the car in a parking garage. A parking garage, Sam.”

Sam’s lips twitched. “I think we have bigger problems here, Dean.” Before Dean could protest, Sam shook his head. “We need a cover story.”

Dean thought about this and then nodded. “True. We can’t just use the usual cover of being cops. The cops are already investigating.”

“There’s been multiple deaths already so we might be able to get away with being federal agents.”

Tossing the paper he’d gone out to buy on to the table, Dean dropped down on to the bed closest to the door. “We could try that. Have Bobby be ready, in case they want to call our supervisor.”

Sam snorted. “I think that’s probably our best bet. If we try to say we’re private investigators hired by one of the families to keep digging if the cops give up, we open ourselves to all kinds of questions. Not to mention how badly that could backfire if they want to know which family.”

Dean nodded. “Okay, then federal agents it is.” He leaned back, picking up John’s journal and flipping it open, beginning to look through the pages. “Is there any connection between the victims?”

“Besides the fact that they all go to Juilliard? No.” Sam let out a breath and began reading the details off the screen. “Maria Allen was a junior who was concentrating on singing. Chad Greene was a senior who had starred in a few productions the last couple of years. Brian Sanderson was a sophomore who played the piano and had performed in a few concerts. The latest victim was Lisa Reynolds, another senior, but she was a dancer. There’s nothing that I can find that connects them.”

Frowning, Dean nodded, closing the journal. “Okay, then that’s the first thing we focus on. Finding a connection.”

Sam turned back to the laptop and studied the photos of the latest crime scene that he’d managed to pull up and nodded.

Part of him had a feeling that things were going to get worse before they got any better with this case.  
The other part of him desperately hoped he was wrong and that he and Dean could put a stop to this before anyone else died.

~*~*~

“Thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Vera.” Dean smiled at the woman and Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes as his brother worked his charm on the head of the school.

He couldn’t complain really, it usually got them results.

“Of course, Agent Ulrich. Whatever we can do to help you catch the person coming after the students, we’ll do it.”

“Agent Hammett and I certainly appreciate it.” Dean’s smile widened.

“If we could take a look at the dance studio where Lisa Reynolds was found, that’d be a huge help, Mrs. Vera,” Sam interrupted, shooting Dean a pointed look. The minute she had turned towards Sam, Dean waggled his eyebrows behind her back. “If we can, we’d also need to speak to some of the students. Specifically, any of the students that might be connected to the murders.”

“Oh, well, I don’t think any of them would have had anything to do with this,” she said.

Sam shook his head. “We don’t think they were necessarily connected in that way. But we’d need to speak to the people who discovered the bodies.”

“It might jog their memory, help them remember something they might have considered unimportant or insignificant at the time but that could help us catch the suspect,” Dean added. Mrs. Vera let out a breath and nodded.

“I’ll give you the names of the people that discovered each body. One was a faculty member. He’s in a class right now. The others were students.”

“Names?”

“Tom White is one of the voice coaches. He...he found Maria. Chad was found by Kate McGregor, Brian was found by Sean Patterson, and just recently, Lisa was found by Ryan Evans.” She bit her lip. “You both seem very kind but, please, be careful with them.” Mrs. Vera, whose first name Dean had discovered early on in the conversation was Abigail, sighed. “I know it seems like I’m interfering or coddling them and maybe I am. But I’m very protective of my people, whether they’re faculty or students.”

Sam gave her a small smile and nodded. “We understand. We won’t push them too hard, Mrs. Vera.”

She let out a breath. “Thank you.” She tilted her head. “Let me get you their class schedules. It’s a start at least.”

“Thank you.” Sam waited until she had gone back into her office to glance at Dean. “How do you want to do this?”

“You take the teacher and one of the students, I’ll take the other two.”

Sam nodded. He knew exactly why Dean had suggested he talk to the teacher—Dean couldn’t seem to help some of the stuff that came out of his mouth, though he did manage it sometimes. Still, it was just better all around if Sam spoke to the teacher.

“Okay, I’ll talk to him and Ryan Evans.”

“Then that gives me Kate McGregor and Sean Patterson.” Dean nodded just as Mrs. Vera came back in the room, holding a few pieces of paper.

“Here you go, gentlemen.” She held out the papers and watched as Dean took them, handing two to Sam. “As I said, Tom is teaching at the moment. Sean is most likely in class unless he decided to work on a composition. But you’ll find Kate in rehearsal. She’s in charge of wardrobe this time. Ryan will most likely be in one of the practice rooms on the twenty-fifth floor of the Rose Building. He’s the student assistant resident for that floor.”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to find him easily.” Sam smiled. “Thank you again, Mrs. Vera.”

Once Sam and Dean had left the office, they looked at each other. “Where you headed first?” Dean asked.

“Teacher. We’re already here, I might as well.” Sam glanced around as Dean nodded.

“Okay, I think I’ll go talk to Kate then.” Dean’s lips twitched. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt class, now would I?”

Sam shook his head. “Interrupting rehearsal is going to be just as bad.”

Dean lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “She’ll live.”

As Dean walked away, already headed in the direction of the auditorium, Sam shook his head. “You might not,” he muttered with a slight grin.

~*~*~

It turned out that interrupting a rehearsal, even when the person was just doing wardrobe, was enough to warrant death glares. Dean smiled at the drama professor, pouring as much charm as he could into that one expression, and felt a flash of satisfaction when she softened and told Kate to go ahead and take some free time to talk to him.

“Why don’t we go somewhere a little quieter?” Dean asked. Off of her look, he shook his head. “Still in here, just where people won’t be able to hear us.” Jesus Christ, why didn’t he just ask her to his room while he was at it? What a way to get her talking.

Kate relaxed. “Okay,” she said, nodding. She gestured towards the back, where there were rows of empty seats. “Come on, we can sit back there.”

Briefly, Dean remembered that the back of the auditorium had been used for something else entirely back when he’d been in high school before shaking his head at himself. By the time they’d reached the seats, he was focused on the case once more.

“Kate,” he started, “you were the one that found Chad, right?” She swallowed and nodded. “Were you alone?”

“Yes.” She nodded again. “A group of us were supposed to meet so that we could rehearse a scene we were supposed to perform for class. I thought I was the first one to arrive but...” She shook her head and trailed off, glancing down at her hands.

“This won’t take any longer than it has to,” Dean promised, noticing the way she shifted.

She let out a breath. “Thanks.” She looked up. “I should probably be better at this. Pretend it’s a scene or something so that I can actually help you guys catch the person who...” She hesitated and licked her lips. “The person who killed Chad. But I can’t stop thinking about how it’s not fake, it’s real and what happened to Chad was real and...and I’m babbling. I’m sorry, Agent Ulrich.”

“It’s okay.” Dean leaned forward slightly. “It’s not supposed to be easy to talk about something like this. Take your time.”

Kate took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Well, like I said, we were supposed to meet so that we could rehearse a scene for class.” She smiled lightly. “We were going to act out a scene from _Pride and Prejudice_. I walked in and I didn’t see anyone here so I thought I was the first one there.” She paused and bit her lip.

Dean nodded at her. “Take your time, Kate.”

“I was trying to figure out where we each of our marks would have to be so that we could actually get the scene done and I saw something to the left. It was probably stupid but I went to see what it was. I figured it was one of the others showing up.” She gripped the armrest tightly. “When I got over there, I couldn’t really see anything but then I noticed the curtain moving so I pushed it to the side and...Chad was there. He was hanging upside down and—“ She cut herself off, covering her mouth briefly.

Hell, he hated this part of the job. Still, they had to know. “Just say it fast, Kate.” She stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes, uncovering her mouth.

“His throat had been slit.” Her breath hitched. “There was so much blood.”

“Hey,” Dean said, stopping her from continuing. “Don’t think about the blood, okay?” When she nodded, he kept going. “Did you see anything else?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Nothing at all? Nothing that seemed unusual?”

Kate bit her lip, thinking. “I don’t remember seeing anything but...” She hesitated.

“But...” Dean prompted.

“But I thought I heard someone laughing. And I could smell something too.”

Dean fought the urge to close his eyes and hoped it hadn’t been sulfur. “Do you have any idea what the scent was?”

“It smelled like...like lavender.”

Dean filed that information away, knowing that it was probably connected somehow. He’d tell Sam, see what they could find with research.

“Anything else?” he asked, though he knew he was asking just for form now.

Kate shook her head. “No, Agent Ulrich.”

“Okay.” He stood, helping Kate to her feet. “Then we’re done here for now. But, Kate, if you think of anything else, I’d like you to call me.” Dean dug into the pocket of his jacket, silently admitting to himself that Sam had been right to insist on fake business cards. “My number’s on here. If you can’t get a hold of me, call my partner, Agent Hammett.” He flipped the card over and scribbled Sam’s number on there before holding the card out to Kate.

She took it slowly, looking up at him and nodding. “I will. Thank you.”

Dean just smiled at her before turning around and leaving the auditorium, pausing to glance back once. He nodded at the sight of Kate squaring her shoulders and pocketing the card before heading towards the stage.

Next up, talking to Sean. Hopefully he was done with class.

~*~*~

Sam sighed as he paused outside of the doors of the practice room of the twenty-fifth floor. The conversation with the teacher had definitely gotten him some information and he could only hope that this conversation would do the same.

He tilted his head as he listened to the sound of a piano being played.

If that was Ryan Evans, he was one hell of a pianist.

Sam listened for another moment before he entered the room, his eyes already sweeping the room before landing on the piano and he couldn’t help but suck in a breath at the sight of the young man sitting at the piano.

His eyes were focused on the music in front of him as his hands trailed over the keys, easily bringing the notes on the paper to life. Sam could see blond hair glinting in the light coming in from the window, beneath the hat that was tilted slightly on the young man’s head.

Listening to the music, Sam hated to interrupt but he and Dean were there for a reason and it didn’t matter if he wanted to let the man continue playing, he had a job to do.

“Ryan Evans?” he said, pitching his voice just loud enough to carry over the music.

The young man looked up, his hands stilling, and Sam blinked at the sight of clear blue eyes that seemed to take everything about him in at once.

“Yes,” he told him, removing his hands from the keys but remaining seated. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Agent Sam Hammett with the FBI.” Sam took a step forward as he introduced, allowing a small smile that he hoped like hell was reassuring to appear on his face. “I was hoping to speak to you about Lisa Reynolds.”

Ryan stiffened slightly, grief flickering over his face briefly before he stood, walking around the piano so that he could lean against it. “What do you need to know about Lisa?”

This was the part Sam hated, the part where he had to make people relive moments they’d rather forget. Not that Sam could blame them. There were plenty of things he’d forget if he could.

“Specifically, I need to talk to you about when you found her.” He walked a few steps closer. “We’re talking to each person that was connected to the victims. It might give us something more to go on in finding out who did this.”

Ryan seemed to deflate a bit, letting his head fall back. “What do you need to know?” he asked, sounding almost defeated.

Sam frowned at the tone and moved forward until he was standing less than a foot away from Ryan. “Why don’t we sit down?”

Shaking his head, Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. “No, I think I want to stand for this.” He looked up at Sam, tilting his head back slightly to meet his gaze. “I don’t think I can sit.”

He looked like he was going to start moving any moment and Sam nodded in understanding. He could see that need that Ryan had to go, to be alone, and the faster they did this, the faster Ryan could do that. “Okay.” He didn’t say anything else and he watched as Ryan seemed to relax slightly. Neither of them says anything for a few moments until Ryan licks his lips and lets out a breath.

“We were going to get some practice in for a piece she had to do for an exam. I choreographed it for her and she asked if we could work on it Saturday.”

“Is the dance studio usually open on Saturdays?” Sam asked.

Ryan nodded. “Yes. To the public for a certain period of time and then the owner allows the rest of the time for students to reserve time for rehearsal. I was the one who reserved the time and space.”

“Did anyone else know that you and Lisa were going to be meeting there?” Sam glanced down as he noticed Ryan’s finger’s tapping out a song that he vaguely recognized from a mix CD that Jess had listened to whenever she was in the mood for musicals, surprised that he actually remembered the lyrics.

 _Goodbye until tomorrow. Goodbye ‘til I recall how to breathe and I have been waiting, waiting for you._

“I’m sure there were people that knew. We didn’t try to hide it or anything and it certainly wasn’t a secret.” He shook his head. “We were talking about times we could meet during one of our classes.”

Sam was fairly certain that he wouldn’t need to know the names of the people in that class since it would probably have been a spirit but if he’d been an actual FBI agent, he knew he’d be asking for that information.

“What class?”

“The Evolution of Jazz,” Ryan told him with a slight smile. “Good elective.”

He nodded, wondering if there was anything to the location of the class or if any of the other victims had taken that class. That could be the connection. He’d have to see if he could find out anything about that later.

“When did you confirm the time?”

“A couple of days before. I called her up and let her know. Someone might’ve heard me then.” Ryan bit his lip, a look of guilt flashing over his face. “I said it twice and she repeated it to make sure she had it right.”

“We’ll take that into consideration but I don’t think that would be when they figured it out.” Sam wasn’t sure what it was about Ryan Evans that made him want to get rid of the frown on his face but he felt the need to reassure him that it hadn’t been Ryan’s fault that this had happened. “It’d be more likely some other time. Do you know if she talked about it at any other time, maybe to someone else?”

Ryan’s eyebrows drew together as he considered this. “She might have. Lisa...” He smiled again. “Lisa liked to talk. She wouldn’t have hidden the fact that she was going to get in some extra practice time.” The smile disappeared. “You think someone might have overheard her.”

“It’s a possibility.” Sam watched as Ryan seemed to take this in before he nodded at Sam and leaned further back against the piano. “You were close.” For a moment, Sam considered cursing himself. What the hell had made him say that?

Lips twitching as if he wanted to smile, Ryan shook his head. “Not really. We were friends but not close friends. We saw each other in class and we’d get together for rehearsal and things like that but other than that we never really hung out.” He glanced down.

“We can continue this later, if you’d like.” Sam fought the urge to show his own surprise at the words that had just come out of his mouth. What was he thinking? He should just finish this now and move on.

Ryan looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Somehow, I don’t think your boss would be too happy about that.”

“Probably not,” Sam admitted, thinking of Dean’s reaction if he told him that he’d decided to put off the rest of his questions for Ryan until later. “But I don’t want to push you until you’re upset enough that you can’t remember any details either.” It was an out and they both knew it but, somehow, Sam couldn’t bring himself to care.

Ryan’s smile came slowly and he straightened. “Thank you.”

Sam smiled back. “You’re welcome.” He took a step back and reached in for one of the cards he’d insisted Dean print out. “Why don’t you let me know when you’re free, unless the same time is okay?”

He shook his head. “Actually, I’m supposed to be in rehearsal right now. But I told the director I’d be working on music and choreography today.” Ryan let out a slight laugh. “My sister would kill me if she were here.” He tilted his head, considering. “She’ll kill me through the phone,” he decided.

Sam raised an eyebrow, part of him wanting to ask what he meant, before he gave himself a mental shake. That really wasn’t important.

“Then why don’t you let me know when a good time is for you,” he suggested. “You can give me a call and let me know.”

Ryan stared down at the card that Sam was holding out to him before taking it and nodding. “I’ll call you.”

Sam just barely managed to keep from saying something as cheesy as _I’ll look forward to it_ or _I’ll be waiting for your call_. Instead he smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

“Goodbye, Agent Hammett.” Ryan stared at him for a moment before turning back towards the piano.

As he walked out of the practice room, Sam couldn’t help but glance back at Ryan in the mirror from the corner of his eye.

~*~*~

Ryan fought back the urge to sigh as he listened to Sharpay talking about the importance of rehearsal and how she couldn’t believe he had skipped out on it.

“Shar, I know,” he said, interrupting her. “But I just needed a break from, well, people. And it’s not like I did absolutely nothing related to the musical.”

On the other end, Sharpay sighed. “I know that, Ryan. But the musical will keep you busy.” She didn’t add that if he was busy, she wouldn’t worry as much about him blaming himself for what had happened to Lisa and not getting there in time. She didn’t have to.

“Yes, well, this way I didn’t get pulled out of rehearsal to talk to tall, dark, and dimples, the FBI agent.” He smiled as he said it, easily able to imagine Sharpay practically sitting up in interest.

“Tall, dark, and dimples? Do tell.”

“He just came to question me.”

“Did he frisk you first?” He can practically hear Sharpay’s smirk. “Bring out the handcuffs maybe and restrain you to a chair?”

Ryan can’t help but laugh even as he fought the urge to hit his head against the nearest wall.

Damn it, he missed his sister.

“No.” He shook his head. “And just how much time have you been spending with Chad?”

“I don’t spend time with Danforth. I run into him by complete accident.”

“By showing up at his room?”

“Oh, shut up.” Even Sharpay can’t deny that she and Chad have somehow, despite every insult they used to let fly at each other during high school, become pretty good friends. As if to prove his point, she added, “He says hi, by the way.”

Ryan laughed. “Tell him hi back. No, never mind, I’ll tell him myself because I think he threatened to call me and leave an obnoxious message if I didn’t call him soon.”

“Good. So, back to the FBI agent, what did he want?”

“He needed to ask about Lisa,” Ryan said. “How I knew her, things like that. We didn’t actually finish.”

He knew he could count on Sharpay to pick up on what he wasn’t saying and he wasn’t disappointed as she asked, “You’re seeing him again?”

“Yeah. Not that it’ll be in anything other than an official capacity. Still...” Ryan trailed off, thinking back to the talk he’d had with Agent Hammett. Maybe he was just imagining the look of concern that had seemed to be on his face. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that he’d ended the questioning early out of concern for Ryan rather than not wanting to upset a person who was just connected to the victim.

Even if that was the case, he could hope.

“Tell me you’re going to call him, Ry.”

“Of course I’m going to call him.” Ryan smiled. “I still have to finish answering his questions.” He waited a few moments and then laughed when there was no response.

“Ryan,” Sharpay said. “I swear, if you don’t call him and manage to take a picture with your phone to send to me, I’m going to disown you.”

And there was the Sharpay he loved. “Obviously.”

“Call me and tell me everything,” she ordered. “Love you, toodles!” She didn’t wait for an answer before hanging up.

Ryan shook his head as he hung up the phone, wondering how long he should wait before he called Sam Hammett.

~*~*~

“You what?” Dean asked, staring at Sam as if he’d grown a second head that was reciting the laws of physics at him.

Sam fought the urge to sigh. He’d known that Dean would react like this after all. “I told him we’d finish talking another time.”

Dean pushed himself to his feet, walking a few feet away before spinning to face Sam once more. “So you had a chance to get more information about whatever the hell this is and instead of pushing for it, you decided to lay off for a bit just so you wouldn’t upset the guy?”

“Lisa is the most recent victim, Dean, and I didn’t want to push Ryan into talking about it. If I had forced him to talk, maybe he’d have left something out or forgotten something.” Sam knew that he was making excuses but it was the only way he had of explaining the way he’d acted to himself, as well as to Dean.

“Or maybe he’d have remembered something because he didn’t want to do anything that would screw up the investigation.”

“Jesus,” he muttered. “Dean, I just had a feeling, okay? I’m going to finish questioning him. Until then, we both managed to get enough information that we can at least get a head start on trying to figure out what we’re dealing with.”

Dean stared hard at him for a few moments before nodding. “My guess is spirit,” he finally said. Sam nodded in agreement.

“That’s what I was thinking. Probably a former student.” Sam turned to look at the laptop. “Now we just have to figure out who it could be and what would make them go after these students.”

Frowning, Dean thought back over the information he and Sam had found out today. “Well, everybody said that they heard laughter, right?” Off of Sam’s nod, he leaned back against the motel room’s dresser. “Whoever the hell it is, they were pretty damn happy about killing these kids.”

“Former student maybe?”

“Could be.” Dean tilted his head back slightly. “Hell, I wonder if this is going to turn out like one of those Lifetime movies. Kid just wanted to fit in and some prank by the popular kids goes bad and bam! Dead kid.” He paused when he noticed Sam staring at him. “What?”

“You actually know what the plot of a Lifetime movie is?” Sam smirked at the thought.

Dean’s eyes widened before he let his expression go blank and shook his head. “Please, Sam, like it’s all that hard to figure out. Half of them have that plot.”

“Which means you’ve seen at least one.”

“The actress was hot and partially naked, all right?” He narrowed his eyes as Sam snorted. “Shut up, Sam.”

“Did the movie start before or after _Oprah_ had finished?” Sam asked, just barely managing to keep his voice even.

“I hate you.”

Sam grinned as Dean scowled at him before they began to go over what they’d learned that day one more time.

~*~*~

The sound of the phone ringing jolted Sam out of his thoughts and he blinked for a few moments before turning away from the laptop, glancing around for his phone. He spotted it on the nightstand and cursed as he knelt on Dean’s bed and stretched, just barely managing to grab it.

“I swear you better not be calling to tell me you decided not to come back and are going to pick someone up tonight,” he said, not bothering to check to see who it was.

There was a few moments of silence and then a voice he didn’t recognize said, “No, I can definitely say that’s not why I called.”

Sam’s eyes widened and he silently swore. He closed his eyes and prayed that he was wrong about who was on the other end. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“Clearly.” The other person laughed slightly. “It’s Ryan Evans, Agent Hammett.”

Damn it.

“Ryan,” he blurted. He shook his head. “Mr. Evans,” Sam corrected himself. “I thought you were my partner.” He fought the urge to roll his eyes at himself. Definitely not relevant information. “What can I do for you?”

~*~*~

At the question, Ryan had to fight to keep from saying the first thing that came to his mind. Somehow, he didn’t think telling Sam he could let Ryan tie him to the bed for a start was the most appropriate thing in the world. He licked his lips.

“I’m going to have some free time right after rehearsal on Thursday. You did tell me to give you a call.”

“I did,” Sam agreed. “What time does your rehearsal finish? I can meet you.”

“It’s supposed to end around six, so you could meet me at the auditorium.” And Ryan didn’t mind admitting that he was hoping having Sam show up at the end of rehearsal could lead to some dinner, though he didn’t know when Agent Hammett had become Sam in his mind. They’d only met each other once after all.

“That sounds fine. I’ll be there.”

Ryan smiled. “I’ll see you then, Agent Hammett.”

~*~*~

Sam paused just before he walked into the auditorium. Inside, he could hear the music and he waited a few moments, wondering if they were going to be finishing it up. When the music didn’t stop, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

On stage, Ryan was kneeling with a young woman as she sang to him about his presence feeling like a dream. He watched as Ryan trailed a hand over her face before pulling her close and kissing her. Once they’d parted, he turned slightly, and Sam sucked in a breath as he began to sing.

“ _Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise. You’ve got me seeing through different eyes. Somehow I’ve fallen under your spell; somehow I’m feeling it’s up that I fell._ ”

Unconsciously, Sam moved closer as Ryan’s voice lifted and soared with the music. He watched as the girl slipped her hand into Ryan’s and they turned to face each other completely, rising to their knees and pressing closer together, they’re voices blending with each other.

“ _Every moment, as long as you’re mine, I’ll wake up my body and make up for lost time._ ”

Ryan lifted a hand, sliding it up her neck, as he continued the next part on his own. “ _Say there’s no future for us as a pair..._ ”

Their hands ran over each other as her voice joined his once more. “ _And though, I may know, I don’t care._ ” Her hands fell away from him as they once again lifted onto their knees and pressed against each other. “ _Just for this moment, as long as you’re mine,_ ” his left hand clasped her right, lifting them into the air, “ _Come be how you want to,_ ” Ryan let go of the girl’s hand, gripping her waist instead as she spread her arms wide and leaned back slightly, “ _And see how bright we shine,_ ” her arms came forward, gripping his upper arms as he lifted his left hand and caressed her face, “ _Borrow the moonlight, until it is through,_ ” the two pulled apart, leaning back and away from each other until they reached forward, gripping each other’s hands, “ _and know that I’ll be here holding you, as long as you’re mine._ ”

As their voices soared for the final note, they came back together, clinging to each other as if they were afraid of what might happen if they let go. The music faded and Ryan pulled back, his hands on her upper arms.

“What?” he asked, a bit breathless. “What is it?” His hands moved down to her waist.

“It’s just—for the first time, I feel...wicked.” The girl’s voice was a mock whisper on that last word as she lifted her hands to demonstrate the point. He laughed lightly, and then leaned forward, kissing her as her hands cupped his cheeks.

“And cut,” a voice called out from the third row. Sam watched as a woman stood up. “I’m so happy with that scene; I only have one thing for you guys to work on.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Only one?”

“I can find more, Ryan, if you’d like.”

He let out a breath as the girl elbowed him. “No, one is good.”

“Both of you need to watch your hands towards the end of the song. You looked like you weren’t sure what to do with them.”

“I didn’t,” the girl said.

“Then you’ll have to figure something out, Zoe.”

Zoe nodded and then jumped down off the stage. “I will, Professor. Thanks.” She turned and waved at the stage. “See you tomorrow, Ryan!”

“Night, Elphie,” he called, laughing and doing a small dance to avoid the pen she threw at him. He looked up, a small smile appearing on his face when he spotted Sam. He nodded at him and gracefully climbed off the stage, picking up his bag. “Good night, Professor Harmon.”

She smiled and patted his arm. “Good night, Ryan. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She walked away, leaving through the side door as Ryan headed towards the back to where Sam was standing.

“Hi,” he said. “What’d you think?”

“I liked it,” Sam admitted, glancing back at the stage. “I have no idea what it was but I liked it.”

Ryan shook his head as they left the auditorium. He was used to people not knowing what he was talking about when it came to musicals though by the end of senior year, the Wildcats had definitely started to catch on.

“We’re performing _Wicked_. It’s about the Wicked Witch of the West before she was, well, wicked. It shows her at school, falling in love, making friends with Glinda, and what makes her change.”

Sam watched as Ryan’s eyes lit up while he began to go into more detail about the musical, telling him the story of Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero, Ryan’s character.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan suddenly said, cutting himself off abruptly. “You didn’t come here to talk about the production.” He gave Sam a small smile. “I get carried away.”

“No, don’t apologize.” Sam turned towards Ryan a bit more. “It was interesting.”

“Isn’t that usually a polite way of saying boring?” Ryan teased, fighting back a laugh when Sam’s eyes widened a bit before he grinned, catching on.

“No, it means interesting,” he assured Ryan. “If I was bored, my eyes would have glazed over.”

Ryan laughed. “In that case, I’ll make sure that I go to you when I need to talk about a musical.” He glanced over. “You wanted to talk about Lisa.” He said it as a statement and not a question.

Sam nodded. “I did.” He returned Ryan’s look. “Is there somewhere we could go to talk? Somewhere that you’re comfortable?”

Ryan considered this for a few moments. “There’s a small café a few blocks over. It’s quiet and no one will bother us.” He turned to Sam. “Do you mind if walk?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “Lead the way.”

~*~*~

The café was everything that Ryan had said. It was quiet, the lighting dim and relaxing. It was obvious that Ryan was a regular there when the barista smiled at him and waved him over.

“Ryan, did you come here just to brighten my day?” he asked.

“Maybe I came here to brighten _my_ day, Henry.” Ryan raised an eyebrow at him, lips twitching.

“Selfish bastard,” Henry declared. “I suppose you want your usual.”

“Definitely.”

Henry looked over at Sam. “And what about you, tall, dark, and handsome?” His lips lifted in a smile and he waggled his eyebrows at Ryan when Sam glanced down, smiling just enough to reveal his dimples.

Sam glanced up. “I don’t know. Surprise me,” he said.

“You won’t be sorry. Go on, you two, I’ll bring these over in a few minutes.” He waved them away, turning to begin making their drinks.

“He’s right,” Ryan told Sam as they headed towards a corner that was tucked into the back. “You won’t be sorry.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He glanced around the room, taking in the various people and the entrances. He sat down in the corner, making sure that he had a good view of the room as he did so.

Ryan tilted his head. “I didn’t think anyone actually did that outside of the movies.”

Sam turned to him, frowning slightly. “Did what?”

“Staked out the room, sat with their back to the wall. Things like that.”

He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “It’s better to be careful,” was all he said. He turned back to Ryan, focusing on him.

He knew, right away, what it was that Sam was asking even though he hadn’t said a word. “Where should I start?” he asked.

Sam gave him a look of sympathy. “What time did you arrive at the dance studio?”

“A little after three. I was running late, which wasn’t all that unusual.” He smiled a bit. “Lisa always got there before me.” He let out a breath. “When I got there, I didn’t see her right away and so I called out her name.” He shook his head. “That probably wasn’t my smartest move.”

“You didn’t know,” Sam said.

Ryan stared at him and then shook his head in agreement. “It was dark in the studio when I got there which I thought was strange since I usually walk in to find Lisa warming up.”

“Did you see anything or anyone there?”

Ryan shook his head after a few minutes. “No. It was empty. The only way anyone would have been there would be if they had snuck in since I specifically chose that time because it’d be empty. For rehearsals, Lisa preferred having privacy so we usually tried to schedule them when there was no one around.”

“Here you two go,” Henry announced as he placed the drinks in front of them. “Enjoy.” As he turned, he winked at Ryan, causing him to bite back a laugh as Henry walked away.

Sam’s eyes flicked between the two, a slight frown on his face. The idea that the two might be involved bothered him. He knew it wasn’t the idea of two men together that bothered him. Hell, he’d experimented plenty back in his first year at Stanford and a bit in his second year as well until he’d met Jess.

No, it was the idea of _Ryan_ being involved with _Henry_ that was bothering him. Denial wasn’t something he bothered with, he could admit to himself that he was attracted to Ryan. But being attracted to someone was much different than not wanting them to be seeing anyone else at all.

Sam held back a sigh. He knew he’d felt something for Ryan from the start but seeing him onstage, seeing him singing about wanting to be with someone and damn the consequences, had definitely played a large part in it.

“Sam?”

He focused on Ryan, who was staring at him in a way that made it clear he’d been trying to get Sam’s attention for a couple minutes. “What?”

“Sorry,” Ryan said. “I just thought your first name might get your attention.”

“No, that’s fine.” He smiled slightly. “You can call me Sam.”

“Okay, then Sam it is.” Ryan took a sip of his coffee, closing his eyes as he swallowed. After a moment, he opened his eyes again and looked at Sam. “When I didn’t see Lisa, I turned on the light. I was going to set up the CD player so that everything would be ready when she got there and that’s when I noticed that the door to the storage room was open.” He wrapped his hands around his cup. “The door is always closed so I went to check it out.”

Sam nodded at him to go on, taking a drink of his own coffee, a surprised smile appearing on his face when he tasted a hint of chocolate and caramel. It wasn’t his usual choice but he wasn’t going to complain. Ryan gave him a knowing smile before he continued, his smile fading.

“I remember that I called her name because I thought maybe I’d just missed her. I figured she might be in the storage closet getting something we needed.” He shook his head. “I guess I was partially right, wasn’t I?”

“Ryan.” Sam leaned forward. “You couldn’t have done anything, even if you’d been on time.” He hesitated and then decided to hell with it. “It happened too quickly and it looks like she must have gotten there early.” He didn’t want to say that he’d read the report and Lisa had bled out in thirty minutes.

Ryan stared at him for a few minutes. “She was there early.” He shook his head. “Yeah, that was a bit of a habit of hers,” he said, rubbing a hand over his mouth. Ryan frowned lightly. “Still, maybe if—“

Sam reached out, placing a hand on Ryan’s wrist. “Ryan,” he said, interrupting him. “You couldn’t have done anything unless you’d gotten there at least forty-five minutes early. And doing so would have been extremely out of character from what you’ve told me. Instead of helping, you could have ended up dead.”

Sighing, Ryan nodded. “That’s what I keep telling myself. I guess I’ll just have to keep saying it.”

Sam squeezed his wrist. “Yeah, you will,” he told him, giving Ryan a small smile.

~*~*~

Ryan let out a slow breath as they walked out of the café, tilting his head back so that he could look up at the sky. His lips twitched as he realized that the last time he’d seen a clear sky had been in Albuquerque. He turned back towards Sam, remembering the feel of his hand around his wrist and the look on his face when he’d insisted Ryan couldn’t blame himself.

“Sam,” he started before pausing. “I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner?” Before Sam could open his mouth to respond, he continued, “To thank you. I know you did things a little differently than you normally would have.”

Sam considered Ryan and then nodded, smiling back. “Okay.” For just a moment, he considered if he should have said something else before mentally shaking himself.

He wasn’t an actual FBI agent, after all, so it wasn’t like he was breaking any rules.

~*~*~

Dean looked up as the door opened. He watched as Sam came in, heading straight for the bed where his bag was sitting.

“Fun night?” he asked, keeping his voice casual.

Sam paused and glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “It was fine,” was all he said.

Dean shook his head and looked back down at the research he’d been doing. He could practically feel Sam’s eyes on him and finally, he rolled his eyes and looked up. “What?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Sam pulled out a clean shirt and sweatpants before looking back at Dean. “You look like you’re just dying to say something.”

“Just wondering, that’s all.”

“Wondering?”

Dean just gave him a look. “Yeah, wondering. There a little something you forgot to tell me, Sammy?”

“Does it matter?” Sam asked, forcing himself to keep his voice light. Dean shook his head as he realized what Sam was worried about.

“No. I don’t care if you’d rather be with a guy. Curious about when it happened though.”

Sam looked down at the clothes in his hand and let out a breath. This was definitely not something he’d ever expected to talk about with his brother. He shouldn’t have been that surprised that Dean had noticed something though. He was a hell of a lot more perceptive than he let on.

“Stanford. I—“ He let out a breath. “There was this guy and we...experimented a little.” He paused and his lips twitched. “Actually, we experimented a lot.”

“Dude, I don’t need details,” Dean said, smirking a bit. Sam’s head shot up and he relaxed at the look on Dean’s face.

“Like I’d give you any,” he muttered, heading towards the bathroom for a shower.

“You didn’t keep a journal, did you?” Dean called. “I’m not going to open a file and find ‘Dear Diary, today he looked at me!’ or something, am I?”

Sam groaned as he shut the door and then smiled a little. Somehow, he had a feeling that Dean was still probably more freaked out than he was letting on but the fact that he was trying and making jokes meant a hell of a lot to him.

Sending a silent thanks to his brother, Sam started the shower.

~*~*~

Ryan couldn’t help the smile on his face as he walked into his suite. Dinner had been wonderful and he definitely hadn’t been expecting Sam to flirt back with him while they’d been having dessert. He let out a breath and took out his phone, flipping it open and hitting speed dial 3.

He listened as it rang a few times and then a familiar voice came over the line.

“ _Hey, this is Chad. Leave a message, I’ll get back to you! Eventually._ ”

Ryan shook his head as he began to talk. “It better be sooner than eventually, Chad. When did you change your message?” He waved his hand, dismissing the question. “Not the point. The point is, I just got back from dinner with a gorgeous man. Details later, I promise. But only if you’re good,” he said, with a grin before he snapped his phone shut.

He looked at the phone and then after a moment, opened it again. This time he hit speed dial 1. After a few moments, he brightened as Sharpay answered.

“Ryan! What are you doing? Are you calling to tell me all about Dimples? You did call him, right?” she demanded.

Ryan laughed and dropped down onto the couch. “Yes, I called him. He came to the end of rehearsal and then we went for coffee and after that, we went for dinner.”

“Oh,” Sharpay said, stretching it out. “Coffee that turned into dinner? Fabulous, Ry! Did you kiss him?”

Ryan shook his head even though she couldn’t see him. “No. The whole reason we even met tonight was because he needed to finish talking to me about Lisa.” At that, his voice softened. “Not exactly the best first date conversation.”

Sharpay’s voice softened in return to his tone. “How are you doing after that? And don’t lie, I can tell when you’re lying to me and if you lie, I will get on a plane and fly down there just to hit you over the head, Ryan.” As she talked, her tone became less of a question and more of an order.

The familiar tone had his smile returning. “I’m better than I was,” he told her. “And I’m not going to deny that tonight was a big part of that.”

“Dinner went that well?”

“Try a dinner that lasted a couple of hours, Shar.” He leaned back. “It was absolutely fantastic. He’s serious and then he just says something out of nowhere that makes you laugh and damn it, his smile should be illegal.”

“Maybe I’ll fly over there anyway, just to meet him.”

Ryan laughed and opened his mouth to reply when his phone beeped at him. He frowned and pulled it away to glance at the screen before smiling. “Shar,” he said. “I have to go. That’s my other line.”

“Is it him?”

“Sharpay—“

“I’m not hanging up until I know.”

“Yes, it’s him.”

“Then why are you still talking to me?” Sharpay asked as if he’d gone crazy. “Tell me more later, okay? I have to go anyway. I’m supposed to head to some sort of study session. Kisses!”

Ryan was laughing when he switched lines. “Hi,” he said.

“Hey,” Sam told him. “Something funny?”

Ryan settled further into the couch. “My sister.” To him, those two words explained it all and from what Sam had told him about his brother, he had a feeling that he’d definitely understand.

~*~*~

Sam laughed and leaned back against the Impala, glancing at the door to the motel room where he just knew that Dean was coming up with all sorts of scenarios for what was being said.

“Yeah, I get that.” He shifted. “I was actually just calling to say that I had a good time tonight.” He closed his eyes and cursed himself. Damn it, that sounded stupid. Then again, it probably sounded better than _I was calling because I wanted to hear your voice_. No, that wouldn’t make him sound like a stalker at all.

“Yeah?” Ryan sounded extremely pleased about that so maybe it hadn’t been a bad idea to call after all. “I’m glad. I had a good time too.” There was a brief pause before Ryan continued, “We could do it again sometime.”

Sam knew he should say that he couldn’t. He knew he should say that it would compromise the investigation, that he should push Ryan away because once the case was done, he and Dean would be leaving and there was a good chance he wouldn’t see Ryan ever again.

Instead, he smiled brightly and nodded, glancing down at the ground. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He shifted backwards, boosting himself up so that he was sitting on the hood of the Impala. Quickly, he glanced towards the room again, fighting back a sigh of relief when he noticed that the curtains were still, meaning that Dean hadn’t looked out the window.

He’d never hear the end of it if Dean saw him sitting on the hood of his baby, which he would never understand since Dean had sat on the hood plenty of times.

The door opened and Dean appeared in the doorway. “Sam,” he called. His eyes narrowed. “Seriously, are you sitting on my car?”

Damn. So much for that.

“Sam?” Ryan asked. “What’s that?”

“That,” Sam said, raising an eyebrow at Dean, “is my partner getting pissed at me.”

“Sam, I swear to God, if you don’t get off the hood—“

“Jesus, Dean, I’m moving. Relax.” He rolled his eyes as he got off the hood.

“Hey, if you want to be the one to wax her, no problem. Until then, Sammy, you don’t get to sit on the car and leave smudges on it.”

“Shut up, Dean.”

On the other end, Ryan laughed. “You guys sure you’re not married or something?”

Sam’s eyes widened. “No, definitely not. We just travel together a lot.” He narrowed his eyes at Dean as he walked passed him and into the room, ignoring Dean’s smirk. “Shut up, Dean,” he called back.

“Dude, I didn’t even say anything,” Dean protested.

“You didn’t have to.” He sighed and shook his head, smiling a bit as he listened to Ryan laugh. After dinner that night, he could easily picture the way Ryan’s entire face just brightened when he laughed.

“That must get interesting,” Ryan finally said.

Sam thought back over everything that had happened since he and Dean had started hunting together again. “You have no idea.”

They fell silent for a few minutes and Sam wondered at the fact that it didn’t feel like an awkward silence that needed to be filled with small talk. Finally, Ryan sighed.

“I better get going,” he admitted. “I have an early class tomorrow.” The way he said it clearly gave the impression that he’d rather stay on the phone.

“Those can be hell,” Sam agreed. “Good night, Ryan. Get some rest.”

When Ryan answered, Sam could practically hear his smile. “Good night, Sam. I’ll talk to you soon,” he told him, making it sound like a promise.

~*~*~

Logan Drake whistled as he walked backstage. The song he’d picked was one that definitely stretched his capabilities. The first time he’d sung it, he’d run out of breath mid-note and, after swearing profusely, had begun to work on it.

Tonight had been the first time he hadn’t even come close to running out of breath while singing and he couldn’t help feeling a bit smug.

God, it gave him such a rush whenever he thought about it. This performance was something he’d been looking forward to all semester and knowing that he was going to be able to nail it was incredible.

He sighed, grabbing a bottle of water as he walked into one of the back rooms, glancing in the mirror.

“Moving on up,” he said, tilting the bottle towards his reflection before taking a drink.

The room got cold and then something flexed around the bottle causing the water to rush forward into his mouth. He choked, pulling the bottle away from his mouth and gasping.

“What the hell?” he asked, panting. He looked around and frowned when he looked in the mirror. Quickly, he spun only to find that nobody was there. He scanned the room, certain he had seen someone there. “Imagining things, Drake,” he muttered to himself.

From behind him, he heard the sound of glass shattering and he spun around once more just as a large shard of glass flew forward, embedding itself in his throat. Logan’s eyes widened and he gasped, the sound wet as he choked on his own blood. He reached, frantically trying to pull the glass out, grimacing when the blood caused him to do no more than slice his hands.

The feel of someone shoving him backwards jarred the glass so that it slipped further to the side, digging in to the skin. He stumbled and opened his mouth to cry out. His cry was cut off as another shard of glass flew from the side and was shoved through his lower jaw.

Logan’s eyes rolled to the side as everything around him began to fade. Vaguely, he wished he’d taken Cheryl up on her offer to practice their duet because then he wouldn’t have been alone.

God, he wished he wasn’t alone.

The last thing he heard was a woman’s low laughter.

~*~*~

Sam rubbed the towel over his hair one last time before tossing the towel to hang over the shower before grabbing his comb and pulling it through his hair a few times, brushing it back.

He paused when he walked out of the bathroom to find Dean pulling on his white button-up. Raising an eyebrow, he tossed his shirt back into his duffel. “What happened?”

“Mrs. Vera called while you were primping yourself, Samantha. There’s been another murder.” He shrugged his shoulders to adjust his shirt and began buttoning it.

“Damn,” Sam said, pulling off the jeans he’d put on after his shower and grabbing his slacks. “She say who it was?”

Dean glanced over and the look he gave Sam told him that he hadn’t asked as casually as he’d hoped. “Young guy, a singer. A junior named Logan Drake.”

Sam fought to keep the relief from showing on his face and just hoped his brother couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Did she say where they found him?”

“A backstage room. I couldn’t get much else out of her, I think she was still in shock. She said the cops were already there but she thought we’d need to talk to the students.” Dean paused before continuing, “Are you going to be okay?”

He knew exactly what Dean was asking and he nodded. Seeing what was being done to the students was one thing but it became something else entirely when it was obvious you were having feelings for one of the students. “Yeah,” was all he said as he began to tuck in his shirt.

Dean stared hard at him for a moment before reaching for his tie. “Okay. Then let’s get going.”

~*~*~

Sam glanced around the crowd, his eyes pausing on Ryan and he tilted his head towards him as they walked past the students.

“Excuse me, but just where do you think you’re going?”

Sam turned at the sound and raised an eyebrow at the man standing there. Dean smirked at him. “You might need to brush up on your observational skills because it looked to me like we were heading towards the crime scene, Officer,” he said. Next to him, Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes. Whenever they acted like this, Dean couldn’t resist needling the local police.

As the officer’s eyes narrowed, Sam reached into his pocket, lips twitching when the man tensed. He pulled out a card and held it out to the man. “Why don’t you call this number and verify our identities if it’ll make you feel better?” he suggested. “I’m Agent Sam Hammett and this is Agent Dean Ulrich.”

The officer eyed the card before taking it. “What’s this? Your way of taking over?”

“Our way of offering to work with you instead of completely taking over,” Dean said. “So why don’t you call up our boss and check us out?” He smiled and Sam could practically hear the smart ass remark that was going to come out of his mouth. As the officer looked at the card again, Sam stepped on Dean’s foot, earning him a glare.

“Okay, I’ll check it out but until I do, I want you to wait here.”

Sam smiled. “No problem.”

They waited until he was out of sight and out of earshot before glancing at each other and turning towards the crowd. Sam noticed that many of the students that had been looking tense or freaked out when they’d walked up were now looking more relaxed. A few even had smiles on their faces. Nodding at Dean, Sam headed towards the students closest to him while Dean did the same.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m Agent Hammett.”

“Abby,” the girl told him, tilting her head back at him.

“Abby,” Sam repeated with a smile. “Would you mind answering a few questions for me?”

~*~*~

Sam let out a breath as he left the room that Logan Drake had died in. He glanced to the side and noticed the same tension that he was feeling was practically radiating from Dean.

“Thing’s getting more and more violent,” Dean said in a voice low enough for only Sam to hear. “And getting quicker about it.”

“Yeah.” He nodded at Gomez, the officer that had given them a hard time earlier, as he walked by. “I spoke to a few of the professors earlier.”

“What’d you find out?”

“Honestly, not much. I think they were in shock.”

Dean swore. “Okay, then we’ll have to come back. Did they say anything else?”

“The professor that found him said that she could hear a woman laughing when she was in the room but when she walked back out, there was nobody there.”

Dean thought about this for a few moments and then nodded. “It’s a start,” he said. “At least now we know that it’s a woman we’re looking for.” He put his hands in his pockets, pulling out the keys. “We should get started on research.”

Sam’s eyes moved passed Dean, searching out Ryan. “I’ll catch up with you, Dean.”

Dean snorted. “Yeah.” He glanced back, following Sam’s gaze, before turning to look at Sam. “I’ll see you back at the room,” was all he said. He began to walk down the steps and paused. “Sam,” he added, voice low. “Watch yourself while you’re here.”

Sam smiled back. “Always.”

Dean didn’t say anything else as he nodded at him and then continued down the steps, only glancing at Ryan once as he left the auditorium.

Ryan turned his head to watch as Dean walked passed him before turning back towards the steps where Sam was standing and raising an eyebrow. Sam didn’t reply, offering a shrug as a reply instead.

“How are you holding up?” Sam asked as he walked down the rest of the steps. Ryan glanced over Sam’s shoulder before looking back at him.

“I’m okay.” Ryan paused and then shook his head. “I’ve been better.”

Sam took a step closer to him. “Did you know him?”

“No.” He licked his lips and bit down on the inside of his cheek, something he knew drove Sharpay nuts. “A part of me is really glad that I didn’t.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what that says about me.”

“It says you’re normal.” Sam placed one hand on Ryan’s shoulder, looking down at him. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Ryan smiled slightly and tilted his head up, shifting closer to Sam which caused Sam’s hand to slide further so that it was slightly wrapped around the back of his neck. “No, it’s not.”

Sam stared down at Ryan, his eyes flickering when Ryan swallowed and pressed his lips together. For a few moments, he considered backing away, ignoring the tension that was rapidly building between the two of them, and going back to the room. That was the safer option.

The other option would be a lot more satisfying.

 _To hell with it_ , Sam thought. He firmed his grip on Ryan’s neck and watched the realization dawn in his eyes. Sam tilted his head down and then paused as if asking a silent question. Ryan smiled and it was all the answer that Sam needed.

Sam pressed his lips against Ryan’s, softly at first and then deepening the kiss when Ryan groaned lightly and pressed closer, his hands moving to grip Sam’s upper arms. Sam brought up his free hand and sliding it up Ryan’s chest until it was resting at the spot where Ryan’s neck and shoulder met. Sam traced a path on Ryan’s neck, back and forth, with his thumb. He smiled into the kiss when he felt Ryan shudder.

Ryan pulled back and sucked in a breath. “Sam,” he said softly. His voice was thick and he wanted more.

“I know,” was all Sam said. After another moment, he looked as if he was going to say something else; Ryan shook his head and covered Sam’s mouth with his, taking control of the kiss right away.

Sam’s hands tightened on Ryan and he had to fight not to tighten his grip to the point of bruising. His fingers flexed when Ryan licked his bottom lip until Sam let him in. This time, Sam didn’t stop himself from groaning as he let Ryan explore his mouth.

It felt like it’d been a hell of a long time since he’d let another man do this.

Sam felt himself get hard as Ryan began to suck on his tongue. The thought of what it would feel like to let this go further had him straining forward, wishing that there was something nearby that he could press Ryan up against.

Realizing just where his thoughts were going, Sam pulled back, breathing heavily. Ryan’s grip tightened briefly when Sam pressed his forehead against Ryan’s.

“I better get you back to your floor.”

Ryan gave him a half smile. “I take it you won’t be coming into my room with me.”

Sam let out a small laugh. “No.” He shook his head. “No, I won’t be.”

He stared up at Sam and then nodded in acceptance. “Okay,” he said, raising an eyebrow, eyes brighter than they’d been earlier. “Why don’t you walk me home then?”

~*~*~

The sound of her phone ringing drew Kelsi out of the song she was writing and she blinked a few times to clear her mind before reaching out to pick up the phone. A glance at the screen had her smiling when she answered.

“Hi, Ryan.”

“Hey, Kels, what are you doing?”

Kelsi glanced down at the table in front of her. “If I tell you I’m working on a song, are you going to tell me I need to get out more?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m having a party.”

“Liar. You’re working on a song.”

“How do you know?”

“If you were having a party, I’d be able to hear it since I’m walking up to your door right now.”

Kelsi pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a few moments before laughing and shaking her head. “I think you’ve been wearing hats that are too tight. You’re getting weird,” she said, heading towards the door.

When she opened it, Ryan was giving her a look that she recognized well. “Hats that are too tight? Never.” He moved passed her, smiling a bit. “What are you doing in here?”

Kelsi stared at him, tilting her head. “Didn’t we just go over that?”

Ryan shook his head. “You know what I mean,” he said. “If I know you, that song is already perfect or well on its way to being perfect.” He dropped gracefully onto the couch and leaned back, relaxing and stretching out before tugging her down next to him.

She blushed lightly. She’d never really gotten used to compliments. Even though Ryan had become one of her best friends over the last few years, she was still sometimes surprised at the comfort level that had developed between them.

“It’s not perfect,” she muttered, settling against him.

Ryan snorted, something he rarely did, and shook his head again. “Not by Kelsi standards but to us mere mortals, it is.”

Laughing, she elbowed him. “Very funny.”

“Well, it made you laugh didn’t it?”

They were silent for a few moments and then Kelsi turned slightly so that she was looking up at Ryan. “Okay, spill. What is it that you came here to tell me?”

His expression fell into the most innocent one that she’d ever seen on him and that was evidence enough that he had something to say. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She rolled her eyes and then poked him in the side. “Ryan.”

He smiled. “Caught me.” He shifted. “Okay, you remember how I told you about the FBI agent who questioned me?”

“Sam Hammett of the dimples?”

“That would be him,” Ryan agreed. His smile turned just a bit smug. “He kissed me.”

Kelsi sat up, turning to face him more fully. “Really?” she demanded. “He kissed you? When?”

“Earlier today.” He turned his head towards her. “In the auditorium.” His smile grew. “And then I kissed him.”

“And?”

Ryan didn’t have to ask what she meant. “And he’s a damn good kisser. He just pulled me to him and kissed me.” He let out a breath.

She grinned brightly. “Okay, tell me more.”

“On one condition.” He pushed himself up and held a hand out to her. “We talk about it over coffee.”

“The café?”

“Of course.” Ryan smiled. “Henry’s working tonight and you know what that means.”

Kelsi used the grip Ryan had on her hand to pull herself up and laced her arm through his. “Free white chocolate macchiato.”

~*~*~

“What did you find out?” Sam asked as Dean walked into the room. He looked up. “Anything?”

“Yeah, the teachers at that school may have just given us our break,” Dean announced, a small smirk on his face. He shrugged out of his jacket, grimacing at it as he tossed it to the side. Two days in a row in the same suit was not his idea of a good time.

Sam straightened, focusing on his brother. “What did they say?”

“We’ve got a connection between the victims.” He continued to pull off his suit, tossing the clothes to the side and making a note to hang it up so that it wouldn’t look like he’d slept in it. “Whoever this chick is, she’s going after the top students in the departments. Each victim was considered the best at what they do.”

Sam paused and thought over what Dean had just said. “The best? Or just one of the best?” he asked, thinking back to something Ryan had told him the other night.

“ _Lisa and I may not have been the best of friends but I loved choreographing for her. She was the best dancer we had. She used to laugh when someone told her that and say that that was why she always asked for me to be her partner. It was also the reason she always tried to get Kelsi as our composer. She wanted to work with the best_.”

He remembered how Ryan had given him a small smile and then said that Sam must think he was very conceited. When Sam had denied it, Ryan had finally laughed completely and said he used to be until the summer before his senior year of high school.

“ _What happened_?”

“ _I learned to be separate from my sister, to do what I wanted, and not just what she wanted_.”

“Sam?” Dean asked, frowning as he pulled a shirt over his head.

“I think I may know who the spirit will go for next.” Sam swallowed.

Dean looked as if he already knew the answer simply by Sam’s reaction. “Who?”

“Ryan. He’s considered the best at choreography.”

Closing his eyes briefly, Dean let out a breath. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t have to say anything else, just nodded at Sam and he watched as Sam pulled out his phone, flipping it open and punching a few buttons. Dean watched as Sam waited for an answer.

“Nothing,” Sam said, closing his phone. He clenched his jaw as he stood. “No answer.”

“Go.” Dean raised an eyebrow when Sam turned to stare at him. “I stutter or something, Sammy?” He jerked his head towards the door. “Go. I’ll get started on figuring out who the other victims could be.”

Sam stared at him for another moment and then gave him a small smile before grabbing his jacket and leaving the room.

~*~*~

Sam bounced his leg as he waited for the elevator to come to a complete stop. He let out a breath once the doors had opened and hoped that the girl he’d talked to had been right and that Ryan would be here in the dance studio. As he got closer, he could hear a song that seemed to be ending.

“ _I think I missed. Don’t get pissed. It was bad for me – was it bad for you? It’s over. It’s over. It’s over. It’s over._ ”

He raised an eyebrow and moved closer, stopping at the sight of Ryan dancing as the next song began.

“ _Come, cream away the bliss, travel the world within my lips. Fondle the pearl of your distant dreams; haven’t you heard the word of your body?_ ”

The beat of the song was slow and Sam could do nothing but stare as Ryan’s body slowed down to match the rhythm.

“ _O, you’re gonna be wounded. O, you’re gonna be my wound. O, you’re gonna bruise too. O, I’m gonna be your bruise._ ”

Sam licked his lips and walked a few steps into the room, letting himself relax a bit at the realization that Ryan was fine.

Almost as if he sensed the stare, Ryan paused and turned towards Sam. He stared at him for a few moments and then a slow smile appeared on his face.

“Sam,” he said, speaking over the dialogue that was now in the song. There was a slight question in the way he said Sam’s name. Sam walked further into the room, moving closer to Ryan. He tilted his head down a bit.

“I was worried about you.” He shifted. “All of the victims were alone when they were killed and I knew you were planning on being alone tonight.”

“You came to check up on me.” It wasn’t a question.

Sam nodded. “I don’t want anything happening to you.”

Ryan stared hard at him and then, rather than say anything, he grabbed Sam by his shirt and pulled him forward.

“Rya—“ Sam was cut off as Ryan pressed his mouth against his and turned them, moving Sam backward until he collided with the mirrored wall. Ryan unclenched his hands and slid one down, caressing his chest.

Sam slid his hands up and under Ryan’s shirt, gripping his hips. He moaned into Ryan’s mouth as Ryan worked his jean’s open, pushing them down slightly.

“I’ve never seen you in jeans,” Ryan breathed against his mouth, pulling back slightly so they could catch their breath. “I think it should become the new uniform.” He grinned and then leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of Sam’s mouth before sliding his mouth over Sam’s cheek. At the same time, Ryan managed to slide his hand into Sam’s boxer briefs, wrapping a hand around his dick.

Sam’s hips jerked and a low growl escaped him. Ryan smirked against his skin and stretched up, biting down gently on his ear lobe and sucking gently.

Slowly, he began to move his hand, swiping his thumb over the head of Sam’s dick and using it make the slide of his hand easier.

“Ryan,” Sam gasped as Ryan twisted his wrist on the next down stroke. Sam pressed into Ryan’s hand, his head falling back, exposing his neck. Ryan took full advantage of the movement and moved his mouth down Sam’s neck. He bit down, sucking on the skin there. He was going to leave a mark and he knew it but he didn’t care. He wanted to mark up Sam’s skin, to make it clear that he’d been there.

Still, he made sure that he was marking Sam in a place that could easily be covered up by a shirt if need be.

Ryan tightened his grip, quickening his motions. Sam tangled his fingers in Ryan’s hair, vaguely noticing that, for once, he wasn’t wearing a hat. His breath came faster as he thrust up into Ryan’s fist.

“Tighter,” he murmured. Ryan sucked harder for a few moments before pulling back; staring at the mark he’d left before raising his eyes to Sam’s face. He sucked in a breath at the look on his face and couldn’t resist stretching up to kiss Sam once more. He tightened his grip to the point that pleasure bordered on pain.

Sam clenched his hands around Ryan’s hips as he felt his balls draw up. His body clenched and he bit down on Ryan’s lip, moaning as he came.

Slowly, Ryan’s grip on Sam loosened and he relaxed slightly, pulling back to suck in a breath as he tilted his head back to look up at Sam as he freed his hand. He glanced down and lifted it, turning it once he realized that there was still come on his fingers. Ryan’s eyes flicked back up to Sam’s as he raised his hand to his mouth and licked his fingers clean.

They stared at each other for a few moments and then suddenly, Sam twisted, switching their positions so that Ryan was pressed against the mirror.

“What—“ Ryan started, only to be cut off as Sam pressed forward, sliding a knee in between his legs and pressing up so that he was straddling Sam’s thigh. He lifted his hips to increase the pressure and groaned deeply. “Sam.”

Sam didn’t reply, rolling his hips against Ryan’s and sliding his hands beneath Ryan’s thighs to support him. Ryan’s head fell back thumping against the mirror and he lifted his hands to grasp at Sam’s shoulders before sliding them up to grip his hair.

Already, Ryan could tell that he wasn’t going to last long. He moaned again, grinding down against Sam’s thigh and letting his eyes fall closed.

“That’s it,” Sam said, voice low. He leaned forward and traced his lips along Ryan’s jaw. “Let go, Ryan.”

His legs tightened around Sam’s thigh and he began to rock his hips against Sam’s. Ryan whimpered when Sam thrust up against him, increasing the pressure more. He bit Ryan’s jaw.

“Please,” Ryan whispered. He used his grip on Sam’s hair to yank his head up and pulled his head up and away from his jaw. Sam grinned as Ryan pulled his mouth down against his.

Sam slid a hand up Ryan’s front, his shirt bunching up as he did so. Ryan shuddered as Sam’s fingers trailed across his skin, just barely touching. With no warning, he flicked his fingernail across Ryan’s nipple before pinching it lightly.

That was all it took before Ryan stiffened, his back arching as he pressed himself up against Sam and came.

Ryan panted as he slumped against Sam, the mirror and Sam’s body seeming to be the only thing holding him up.

“Ryan?” Sam asked, his lips twitching when the blond rested his head against his shoulder. “Ryan,” he tried again. This time he only got a nod in response.

“Fantastic,” Ryan muttered. Sam laughed lightly and lifted Ryan’s head so that they were looking at each other. Ryan’s mouth lifted in a half smile. “We’re going to get sticky if we stay like this.”

Sam looked down. “I don’t suppose you have something that I can use to clean up,” he said.

Ryan laughed. “There’s a washer and dryer on each floor. We can wash your jeans.” He looked down and raised an eyebrow. “Unless you’d rather walk around like that.”

“Not especially.” Sam released his grip on Ryan, stepping back carefully. “I don’t suppose you have anything that would fit me, do you?”

Shaking his head, Ryan moved over to the stereo player, pressing a button and stopping the music. He took out a CD and put it in a case before turning back to Sam.

“I know I don’t but one of my suitemates might.”

Sam frowned. “Suitemates?”

Ryan nodded as he headed towards the door, motioning for Sam to follow him. “The floors are made up of suites. Each suite has three double rooms and two single rooms and a living room.” He glanced up at Sam. “I think that Jack might have a pair of pants that would fit you.”

Sam took that in and then nodded. Out of the corner, he looked at Ryan and hesitated for a moment before taking a chance and sliding a hand across Ryan’s back until it rested on his shoulder.

Ryan didn’t reply, instead choosing to let only a small smile appear on his face as they walked.

~*~*~

Dean looked over as the door opened and had to stop himself from showing any reaction at the sight of his brother. He wasn’t stupid; he recognized the signs of a guy after he’d had some fun.

Except it was his brother so he knew that if Sam had done anything, it was for more than just fun.

He watched as Sam looked over at him before looking away again. “Ryan’s fine,” he said.

Dean couldn’t help it. “It took you three hours to figure that out?” He watched as Sam flushed and couldn’t help but smirk.

“Shut up,” Sam muttered as he walked into the bathroom. A moment later, Dean heard the shower start.

He let out a breath and dropped back on the bed, turning the volume of the television up as he thought about where Sam had just come from. He knew that Sam had been with Ryan even if he didn’t know how far they’d gone.

Then again, he probably didn’t want to know just how far they’d gone.

Dean sighed. He wasn’t going to say anything else. He knew Sam was probably expecting him to be extremely weird about this. But while Sam hadn’t been smiling when he walked in, Dean could still tell that he’d been happy and he had a feeling it had to do with a lot more than just sex.

So, if it was a blond dancer who just happened to be a guy that made Sam happy, then Dean wasn’t going to make him feel as if there was anything wrong with it.

He thought of how things had been since Sam had started hunting with him again, how Sam had been since their Dad had died, and decided that if Ryan was going to be the one that made Sam start smiling again, he was damn well going to be a full supporter of the two.

Dean glanced over at the bathroom door and smiled a bit.

It was about damn time.

~*~*~

Kelsi frowned at the pages in front of her, grabbing it and putting it on top of the piano. She tilted her head and erased one of the notes, switching it for another. She smiled in satisfaction and then set the pages back in their original spot.

Nodding, she began to play the song once more, listening to the change and her smile turned to a grin.

There was a tingling sensation at the back of her neck, as if someone was watching her, and she faltered, wincing at the sound the notes made.

“Hello?” she asked, turning to check the room. She frowned when she saw that there was no one there. She sighed and shook her head. “Crazy,” she muttered, deciding that everything that had happened was making her paranoid. She turned back to the piano, determined to perfect the song.

She had no warning before the piano lid slammed closed. She screamed as she felt the bones in her fingers snap, instinct making her want to try and yank her hands out from under the lid.

The decision was made for her as the lid opened slightly and she was yanked backwards until she fell over onto the floor. She tried to move backwards, glancing at the closed door and wishing, for the first time, that the studios weren’t soundproof.

Kelsi cried out as she was lifted and slammed back into the wall. She watched as the piano bench flew to the side and struggled to move as she saw the piano fly across the floor.

“No!” She twisted and screamed again as the piano slammed into her, pinning her against the wall. She gasped and tried to suck in a breath to scream again before she was cut off by the piano moving back. She whimpered as she fell to the floor before she was dragged to the side a bit.

She gasped, closing her eyes at the feeling that something was pressing down against her chest. Kelsi managed to roll over and her eyes widened as the piano suddenly slipped over and onto her.

~*~*~

Ryan nodded at a student that he recognized from one of the other floors as he passed him. He couldn’t help but continue smiling. It’d been that way since Sam had left the night before.

He shook his head as he noticed the door to the studio still closed. He just knew that Kelsi was going to be in here. She always was when she was working on a song.

Pausing outside the door, he knocked once so that she wouldn’t be surprised when he walked in before he opened the door.

“Kelsi,” he called. “Get ready to go for coffee because you are not going to believe what—“ He stopped talking, freezing at the sight that met his eyes. “Kelsi?”

She was under the piano, which was pinning her to the ground. Her fingers had been crushed though he wasn’t sure by what and she was staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

He could feel himself going numb and he stumbled backwards a few steps, stopping when he hit the wall. He pulled his phone out, his hands shaking, and went to his recent calls list, scrolling until he came to Sam’s name before pressing send.

Ryan couldn’t look away from Kelsi’s body as he listened to the phone ring on the other side. He felt himself go limp when he heard Sam’s voice on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Sam,” he choked out.

“Ryan? What’s wrong?”

Ryan shook his head, unable to say anything for a moment. Finally, he said, “She’s dead.”

“Who?”

“Kelsi. Kelsi’s dead.”

He could hear Sam moving around on the other end and he heard Sam say something before he spoke into the phone.

“Where are you?” Ryan wordlessly stared at Kelsi for a few moments. “Ryan?”

“The studio on the twenty-third floor,” he said. “Sam.” He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, he just felt like he needed to say Sam’s name.

“I’m on my way, okay? Don’t go any further into the room, Ryan. I’m on my way.”

Ryan nodded, even knowing that Sam couldn’t see him. “Okay.”

~*~*~

Sam looked around and let out a breath as soon as he spotted Ryan. Dean nudged him and then nodded in Ryan’s direction.

“I’ll take the cops. Go check on him,” he told Sam quietly. Sam smiled gratefully at him and moved towards Ryan.

“Ryan,” he said quietly once he had reached Ryan’s side. He put a hand on his shoulder, hoping that the touch looked casual enough that no one would say anything.

“Don’t ask me if I’m okay.”

Sam shook his head. “I wasn’t going to.” He glanced over at where he could see a police photographer taking pictures of the scene. “You shouldn’t be watching this.”

Ryan turned and glared at him. “I shouldn’t be here? Who are you to tell me where I should be?”

“Ryan—“

“I suppose I shouldn’t be here because it might ruin your precious crime scene. Well, your crime scene just happens to be one of my best friends.”

“I know that.” Sam shifted so that if anyone looked over, they wouldn’t be able to see Ryan. “I know—“

“No, you don’t,” Ryan snapped, spinning around and walking out of the room. He shoved his way passed a couple of students that had gathered at the door and turned left.

Sam glanced at Dean and noticed him talking to one of the officers. He caught his eye and tilted his head towards the door. Dean nodded.

As he reached the door, he looked down at the two students. “I don’t think this is where you need to be,” he said. “Unless you witnessed something that might help.”

The two girls stared at him. “No,” one said. “We just...we wanted to know.”

“This isn’t the time or place to come just to satisfy your curiosity,” Sam told them, somehow managing to keep his voice even. “Do you have class?”

“Yes,” the other girl answered.

“I suggest you get going then before you’re late.”

They looked at each other and then up at him before nodding and slowly walking away. Sam let out a breath and walked out into the hallway, looking towards the left. Ryan was there, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

Quietly, Sam walked up to him and then leaned against the wall next to him.

“My girlfriend was murdered about a year and a half ago,” Sam said quietly. Beside him, he felt Ryan shift and he could see him turn his head out of the corner of his eye. “Dean and I were out of town on a case. Another agent had to leave in the middle of one case and we went to finish up the case for him.” He shook his head. “It only took a couple of days but it was long enough.”

Sam closed his eyes and tilted his head back, thinking of Jess and her death, changing the details slightly to keep any mention of demons out of it.

“Dean dropped me off at our apartment and I didn’t even realize something was wrong when I walked in.” A small smile appeared on his face before it disappeared again. “She’d made me cookies; left me a note saying she’d missed me.” Sam opened his eyes and let out another breath. “Nothing even came close to setting me off. I just...took a cookie and started eating it.”

He didn’t look at Ryan as he continued, “I could hear the shower in the bedroom and so I thought I’d go in and wait for her. But when I went into the bedroom...” He trailed off for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he started again. “She was on the bed.” _Above it_ , he thought. “Wearing this nightgown that she knew I liked. Her stomach had been sliced open. I didn’t think about messing anything up, I just,” _stared at her_ , “tried to get to her. But then there was this burst of fire from the bed and she started burning. They’d set something up on a timer.” He swallowed and stared at the wall. “I still tried to go to her though. But Dean showed up. He’d turned around because I’d left my laptop in the backseat. Said he had barely even gotten out of the car before he saw the fire and heard me screaming her name.” Sam frowned. “I still don’t really remember that part. But he kicked in the door and pulled me away from the fire and then out of the apartment completely. I remember I fought him most of the way.”

“This job,” Sam said, “you lose a lot of people because of it. I lost my dad because of it earlier this year. The same man that murdered my girlfriend had taken my dad.” _Possessed him_. “He had him and my brother and he was torturing my brother.” Sam clenched his fists. “God, he lost a lot of blood.” Slowly, Sam forced himself to relax. “I managed to shoot the guy and the three of us got out of there. We were on the way to the hospital when a semi truck driven by someone who worked for the guy slammed into us from the side. My brother almost didn’t make it. He was in a coma for a bit. The day he woke up, my dad died.”

“Sam,” Ryan said, his voice hoarse. Sam turned to see Ryan staring up at him, eyes shining with tears. “I’m sorry.”

Sam gave him a small smile and then reached down, slipping his hand into Ryan’s. “Me too.” He squeezed Ryan’s hand gently.

“Did he die when you shot him?”

Sam thought of the demon and shook him. “No. He got out.” He swallowed. “I didn’t shoot to kill. We still haven’t caught him.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything before.” Ryan looked up at him. “You go after people who do this all the time. Of course, you know.”

“Come on,” Sam told him, softly, tugging him towards the elevator. “We’re going back to your room.”

Ryan nodded, glancing back at the dance studio. He paused as he saw Sam’s partner, Dean, walk out and glance towards them. Sam followed his gaze and he watched as they exchanged a look that looked as if it carried an entire conversation before they nodded at each other and Dean turned back to the studio while Sam continued moving him towards the elevator.

“Sam?”

“I’ll be the one that questions you,” he said softly. “Dean’s going to keep them out of our hair.”

It was probably ridiculous just how grateful Ryan felt over that but he didn’t care. The idea of having to go over this with someone he’d never met wasn’t something he even wanted to consider. He’d been able to do it when Sam had talked to him about Lisa but having to talk about Kelsi to someone else...he couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to.

“Thank you,” he said as they entered the elevator and Sam pushed the button that would take them up to the twenty-fifth floor.

The moment the doors had closed, Sam pulled Ryan into his arms, just holding him. Ryan sagged, wrapping his arms around Sam’s waist and pressing against him.

It wasn’t long before the elevator dinged and slowly, they pulled apart. Ryan swallowed and, after a moment’s hesitation, reached out and took Sam’s hand in his again before leading him back to his suite.

They entered quietly and Ryan let out a sigh of relief when the living room was empty. He could hear Charlie’s music coming from his room and knew that Charlie and Bobby were probably in there playing video games as usual but as long as he didn’t have to talk to them right now, he didn’t care. Quickly, he went into his room, shutting the door behind Sam.

He stared at the door, taking a couple of deep breaths before he turned to find Sam sitting on the bed. He swallowed and sat down next to him, waiting for the questions to begin.

When Sam moved back so that he was laying down on the bed and then pulled Ryan down next to him, Ryan frowned at him, surprised, even as he settled against Sam.

“Sam? Don’t you need to...” He trailed off, lifting one shoulder.

Sam shook his head. “No. Not yet.” He ran a hand down Ryan’s back, the gesture soothing.

Ryan relaxed against him slightly and closed his eyes. “Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you stay for awhile?”

Sam looked down at him and he wondered when it was that he’d become willing to do what he could for Ryan.

It didn’t matter. He was and he wasn’t going to just stop now.

“Yeah. I’ll stay.”

~*~*~

Dean swore as he walked away from the group of people he’d just finished speaking to. Kelsi Nielsen had been the best composer in the school. According to the students, she was a bit shy at first but still friendly. Teachers complimented her work and talked about what a nice girl she was.

They’d also told him that she was usually seen with Ryan Evans, who had apparently been her best friend since high school.

And the part that had him swearing was the other thing they’d had to say—Ryan Evans wasn’t just the best at choreography among the students but there’d only been a few students who were considered better dancers and both were now dead.

He yanked out his phone and hit speed dial 1, putting the phone up to his ear. “Come on, Sam, pick up,” he muttered, moving further down the hallway so that no one would be able to hear him.

He swore again when it went to voicemail. Dean hung up and hit redial. It rang a few times and then Sam answered.

“Dean?”

“What the hell, dude? Problems picking up your phone?”

“Didn’t get to it in time,” was all Sam said. Dean tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling before he looked back down.

“We’ve got a problem.”

“What happened?”

“I think Ryan’s the next victim.” He could practically hear Sam straightening up. “I talked to a few of the teachers around here and while they were talking about Kelsi Nielsen being the best composer, they also talked about her best friend.”

“Ryan,” Sam said softly.

“Yeah. Best choreographer out of the students and he’s also now considered the best dancer.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Exactly.” Dean paused as he considered what he was going to say next. “Listen, all the victims were alone when they were killed. I think you should stick close to Ryan.”

“What? What about figuring out who it is?”

“Do research whenever you can and I’ll be working on it too. We’re going to need to split up on this one, Sam. We don’t and there’s a damn good chance that he dies.”

Dean ran a hand over his face. “Let me know if I need to drop off some of your stuff, dude. This thing doesn’t care if it’s day or night.”

“I don’t think I will. They were all doing something that involved what they were best at when they were killed. Still, I’ll stay close when I can. Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Dean smiled. “I’ll see you later, Sammy.”

~*~*~

Ryan frowned as he stared at Sam. It wasn’t that he really objected to having a guy he had sort of been seeing for a little over a week stay close to him. Especially since it was Sam.

He couldn’t explain why he had such strong feelings for Sam but they were there and he wasn’t going to deny them or hide from them.

Still, Sam had been showing up and acting as his shadow for days now and while at first, Ryan had assumed it was because he’d asked him to stay or because he just wanted to be there for him, Ryan had the feeling that it was something else entirely.

He sighed. “Sam, what’s going on?”

Sam looked up and frowned at the look on Ryan’s face. “What?”

“What’s going on?” Ryan repeated.

Something flashed through Sam’s eyes and then he shook his head. “I’m not sure what you mean, Ryan.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes and pushed himself up. “Don’t give me that. Don’t treat me like I’m a complete idiot. Sticking around for a day or so because I asked or you were worried would be normal. But it’s been days and whenever I’m not in class, you’re there.”

Sam shifted. “Is it bothering you?”

“Is it—“ Ryan cut himself off and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Sam, I like being with you. I do. But I can tell that there’s something going on and I want to know what.”

“I am worried,” Sam said. “And I want to make sure you’re doing okay. When you’re in class, you’re around other people. But after...” He shrugged. “I don’t want you to be alone. That’s all.”

Ryan studied him for a minute. “Not bad,” he acknowledged. “I think that was even true but it’s not all only that.” He moved closer, sitting down next to Sam. “You’re still not telling me something.”

~*~*~

Sam swore as Ryan stared at him. Any cover story that he came up with was going to be something that Ryan easily saw through. Hell, usually keeping things simple and mostly the truth worked best but Ryan wasn’t buying it.

He had a feeling that Ryan wasn’t going to accept anything but the truth.

He hesitated for a few minutes before he ran his hands over his face. “I’m not an FBI agent,” he said. Next to him, he felt Ryan stiffen and called himself several choice names. “My name isn’t Sam Hammett, it’s Sam Winchester.” He licked his lips. “Dean is my brother.” He risked a glance at Ryan and could see Ryan piecing together what he had just said and knew he was probably thinking back to what he’d told him the day Kelsi had died.

“Who are you then if you’re not with the FBI?” Ryan asked, focusing on that. “Private investigators? Did one of the families hire you? Why lie about it? And how the hell did you manage to convince the police that you were FBI?”

Sam shook his head. This was the part that was hard to explain, especially if the person hadn’t been attacked by a spirit or something. It was hard for a person to deny the truth if a table had just flown through the air and tried to smash them when no one else was in the room.

“Hunters,” Sam told him softly. “We’re hunters. We go after spirits and demons, stop them when they’re killing people.”

“Excuse me?” Ryan shook his head. “That’s insane.”

“It’s a spirit that’s here at Juilliard. Dean and I don’t know who it is yet and that’s why we haven’t been able to stop it. But we’re trying.”

“I’m supposed to believe that? That there’s a spirit killing people, that demons are real?” Ryan stood up. “You could have come up with a better lie than that if you didn’t want me to know, Sam.” He stared down at him. “Though I guess it’s enough to know you’ve been lying about everything.”

“No,” Sam protested immediately. “Not everything.”

Ryan shook his head. “This can’t be real.”

Sam closed his eyes and let his head fall forward. “It is,” he told Ryan. He let out another breath and said the only thing he could think of to make Ryan believe. At least this way, he’d know to be careful.

“A demon killed my mom when I was six months old.” His voice was quiet as he finally revealed what he’d kept a secret from everyone who wasn’t a hunter. “She was in my nursery, checking on me.” Sam lifted his head slightly, just enough to stare at the wall in front of him. He paused and then continued; telling the story he’d first heard when he was a kid. “My dad heard her scream and ran into the nursery. He didn’t see anyone. And then, when he looked up, there she was. Pinned to the ceiling, stomach slashed open, and then she burst into flames.”

“Your girlfriend,” Ryan said, suddenly putting the pieces together.

Sam nodded. “Yeah. It wasn’t just any regular bad guy that killed her. It was the demon that killed my mom. I had an interview coming up for law school and my dad disappeared in the middle of a hunt so Dean showed up. He asked me to go with him and I did, on the condition that I’d be back in time for my interview.” He let out a small laugh. “That’s all I was really worried about back then.”

Ryan sat down slowly, swallowing. “Your dad?”

“Same demon,” was all Sam told him.

This time it was Ryan that closed his eyes as he thought of everything that Sam had just told him. A demon that had killed his parents, his girlfriend, and a demon that was still out there. And while that was happening, he and his brother went around saving people.

“The scariest part about all of this is that I actually believe you,” he finally said. “I’m not sure if that makes me more crazy or you less crazy.”

Sam looked up. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t.” Ryan turned towards him. “I just...I need to think about this.” He let out a breath. “I need to think about without you here.”

Sam stared back at him before nodding slowly. “Okay.” He stood up and headed towards the door, pausing when he had the door partially open. For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something before he simply shook his head and left the room, closing the door behind him.

~*~*~

Dean glanced down at his phone, checking the screen, before answering. “Yeah, Sam?”

“Find anything?”

Something about Sam’s voice had Dean straightening. “Sammy?”

“Did you find anything?” Sam repeated rather than answer. Dean frowned and then looked over at the papers he’d made copies of.

“Yeah. The spirit is Carol Morgan. She was a student at Juilliard thirty years ago. She was killed when a group of students decided she was too serious and tried to get her to loosen up. They played a prank on her and it went wrong.”

“Let me guess, the group of students was made up of kids who were the best at what they did.”

“Bingo.” Dean shook his head. “She was considered one of the best but there was always someone ahead of her.”

“So now she goes around getting rid of the kids that would have been her competition if they went to school with her.”

“Right again, College Boy. The murders happen every ten years and last for a couple of weeks right around the time that she was killed.” Dean paused. “Everything okay over there?”

“Ryan knows.”

It took a bit for Dean to realize what Sam meant and then he fell backwards in his seat. “Shit. Sam—“

“It’s fine, Dean,” Sam cut him off. “I’ll get started on finding out where Carol Morgan is buried.”

Dean considered telling him that he could do it and then decided against it. He knew Sam would feel better if he did this. He’d feel like he’d done something productive.

“Great. I was getting bored anyway.” Dean sat up. “I’ve been wanting a hot dog all day anyway.”

Sam snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Dean grinned. He knew Sam would see right through that. “Hey, I’m not the one who has to watch his girlish figure. That one’s all you.”

“Shut up, Dean.”

~*~*~

Sam glanced over towards the doorway, fighting the urge to go check on Ryan. He knew that Ryan had class anyway. He’d left Ryan alone while he went to classes and had gone down to a larger social area of the school where they kept the computers.

Shaking his head at himself, he focused back on the screen, skimming through a few search engines before he smiled in satisfaction.

“Got it,” he muttered. He picked his phone back up, flipping it open and dialing Dean.

“You found her?” Dean said, bypassing the usual greeting.

“Yeah,” Sam confirmed. “I found her.”

“Tell me where I’m heading tonight, Sam.”

Sam raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He should’ve known that Dean would go as soon as he could. “Trinity Cemetery. It’s not even a couple of miles away from the school. She was a local apparently.”

“It’s starting to get dark anyway. You going to be okay?” The unasked question was clear – did Sam want to be the one to go to the cemetery?

Sam smiled and nodded, despite the fact that Dean couldn’t see him. “Yeah. I’ll be okay over here. Probably grab something to eat before I go make sure everything is okay.” He knew that Dean knew he meant Ryan when he said everything but Dean didn’t say anything.

“Okay. And Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

~*~*~

Sam knocked on the door to the suite and prayed that Ryan wouldn’t slam the door in his face. He looked up as the door opened and smiled.

“Hey,” Sam said. “Jack, right?”

The guy nodded. “Yeah. And you’re Ryan’s friend, Sam.” Neither of them said anything about the fact that Jack had seen him questioning people when Logan Drake had died.

“That’s me. Is Ryan here?”

Jack shook his head. “Not that I know of.” He stepped back and opened the door wider. “You can check but he’s usually over in the practice room after class.”

Sam shook his head. “No, it’s okay.” He had a feeling that Ryan would be in the dance studio, just as Jack had said. “I’ll go check the practice room.” He offered him a smile. “I’ll...see you.”

“Yeah, later,” Jack told him, becoming distracted as he shut the door. “Swear to God, Charlie, if you’ve ruined that DVD, I’ll kill you,” he called loud enough for Sam to hear. Briefly, Sam smiled before he continued down the hall.

He walked up to the practice room, knocking. When there was no answer, he pushed open the door, staring at the sight that greeted him.

Ryan was rehearsing, singing and dancing as if there was a full auditorium of people watching him instead of his own reflection.

“ _Dancing through life, skimming the surface, gliding where turf is smooth. Life is painless for the brainless; why think too hard when it’s so soothing, dancing through life_ ,” Ryan moved forward and Sam could almost see the people that would be standing with him as he gestured, “ _No need to tough it when you can slough it off as I do. Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters; it’s just life so keep dancing through_.” Ryan spun and then froze as he caught sight of Sam standing there. He stared at Sam and suddenly, all Sam could think of was the last time the two of them had been in here.

Ryan sighed. “Sam, when I said I needed some time, I didn’t mean just when I’m in classes.”

Sam shifted. “Sorry, I was just coming to check on you.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I figured. But I’m fine. I’m going to be fine.”

“I know you think that nothing is going to happen, Ryan, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely safe in here.” He sighed when Ryan looked away. “Look, I’ll leave you in here alone if you leave the door partially open so I can hear if anything goes wrong. Otherwise, you’re stuck with me in here.”

Turning, Ryan gave Sam a grateful look. “Done.”

“I’ll be outside,” Sam told him, going out into the hallway and pulling the door halfway closed. He sighed as he settled onto the floor.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

~*~*~

Dean grunted as he heaved another shovelful of dirt out of the grave. It’d taken longer than he liked to find Carol Morgan’s grave but at least he’d managed to find it, towards the back in one of the older parts of the cemetery.

Next time, he was making Sam dig up the corpse and he was going to shadow the next victim.

He shook his head as he thought of how Sam had sounded earlier on the phone. Dean scowled.

He really hoped things were going okay over there.

~*~*~

Ryan spun, making sure to keep his eyes open as he stepped to the left. He frowned as the room suddenly became colder and he stopped, letting out a breath.

Who the hell had turned on the air conditioner?

Shaking his head, he moved to grab his sweater only to be shoved back into the piano. He cried out as his back hit the wood and winced.

“Sam,” he shouted. Vaguely, he noted Sam running in the room as the piano bench flew into the air.

The sound of a gunshot echoed in the room and then the bench was falling to the floor and Sam was in front of him, eyes scanning the room. Immediately, Ryan could see the difference in the way Sam was holding himself. He’d always seemed alert but now he looked ready to move at the slightest sound. He stared at the gun in Sam’s hand and frowned, wondering just how exactly that was supposed to help.

The door to the studio slammed shut and Sam lifted his gun. On his other side, the spirit materialized and Sam turned again, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

~*~*~

“Yes,” Dean said as he felt the shovel make contact with the casket. He slammed the edge of the shovel down, smashing through the wood. As soon as he had smashed it open enough to be able to see what was left of Carol Morgan, Dean tossed the shovel up and over the edge before climbing out of the grave.

He glanced around, making sure that there were no signs of her spirit showing up. He grinned and pulled out the canister of salt, dumping it over the skeleton. Once he was sure it was covered, he pulled tossed the canister back in the bag before repeating the process with the can of gasoline.

“See you around, Carol.” Dean smirked as he lit a match and tossed it into the grave, watching the way the skeleton ignited immediately. “Not.”

~*~*~

In the practice room, Sam reached back and grabbed Ryan’s hand, squeezing it as the spirit of Carol Morgan seemed to burn while floating. Ryan’s hand clenched around Sam’s as she screamed one last time before disappearing.

As soon as she was gone, Sam turned back towards Ryan, taking in the look of shock on his face and how much paler his face was.

“Ryan,” he said softly.

Ryan looked up at him and took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to believe you.”

“I know.”

“I have to now,” he murmured, eyes moving back to the spot where Carol Morgan had just been. He closed his eyes and then forced them back open. “She killed Kelsi, didn’t she?”

Sam nodded. “Yes.” He wasn’t going to lie, not now.

Slowly, Ryan nodded before letting go of Sam’s hand and turned back to the stereo, hitting stop.

“Why don’t I take you back to your room?” Sam suggested. Ryan stared down at the CD he’d just taken out before nodding again.

“I think that’d be the best thing.”

Sam waited until Ryan had picked up his things before leading him towards the door. Just before he opened it, he stopped and turned back towards Ryan.

“Ryan, it’s safe now. I promise. You’re going to be fine.”

For the first time that night, Ryan smiled. “I know.”

~*~*~

Sam groaned as he rolled onto his side. He and Dean had already packed the last of their clothes and Dean had said something about a job in Wisconsin that sounded like a possible poltergeist.

Damn it but he wished they could stay longer. Not that Dean hadn’t offered but they were the ones closest to Wisconsin and Sam wasn’t going to feel right if more people died because they’d asked another hunter to take the job so that Sam could stay with Ryan longer.

Hell, he wasn’t even sure that Ryan wanted to see him again.

It wasn’t every day that you found out the guy you were starting to get involved with was a demon hunter and then had your world turned upside down.

“Sam, if you don’t stop tossing and turning, I’m going to strap you down on the bed,” Dean muttered from the other side of the room. “You said you were tired, so get some sleep. If the TV is too loud, tell me.” Sam sighed.

“Sorry. Just can’t sleep.”

He could feel Dean’s eyes on him and he pointedly didn’t turn around to look at him.

“Sam—“

Dean was cut off when Sam’s phone went off. Sam rolled further to the side and stretched out, grabbing his phone and glancing at the screen. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Ryan.”

“Hey.” Ryan’s voice was quiet on the other end. “Can we talk?”

Sam sat up. “Yeah, of course. Tonight?”

“Yeah,” Ryan agreed. “Do you mind coming over?”

“I’m on my way,” Sam told him. He glanced up at Dean as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his shoes.

“You need a ride?”

Sam blinked at him and then his lips tilted up slightly before he shook his head. “No.” He quickly finished putting on his shoes and then stood, making sure he had his wallet. “I’m good.”

Dean nodded as Sam left the room and then turned back to the TV, a slow grin appearing on his face. “See you tomorrow, Sam.”

~*~*~

For the second time that night, Sam knocked on the door to Ryan’s suite. This time, though, it was Ryan who answered the door.

Sam offered him a small smile and a shrug. “Hey.” At the greeting, he considered rolling his eyes. God, he felt as awkward as he had when he was seventeen.

Ryan’s smile was warmer than the last time he’d seen him and he motioned him inside. “Hey,” he said. He noticed the way Sam glanced around the room and shut the door. “They decided to go out for the night. Jack said something about how I looked like I needed a night to myself.”

“So you called me?” Sam asked.

This time, Ryan let out a small laugh. “Yeah.” He led Sam towards his room, closing the door behind them. “I just...I needed...I’m sorry,” he finally said.

Sam frowned as he sat on the bed. “For what?”

Ryan shrugged. “Thinking you were crazy.”

“Ryan, I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t thought I was crazy,” he told him. “It’s not something that’s exactly believable.”

He sat down on the bed next to Sam and studied his hands for a few moments before he turned his head to look at Sam. “A part of me wishes I hadn’t pushed and that I didn’t know what’s out there.”

“Same here.” Sam shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over the foot of the bed. “I wish there’d been a way to keep you from knowing.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If I was better at coming up with a cover story at the drop of a hat, maybe you wouldn’t know.”

Ryan hesitated a moment and then wrapped a hand around Sam’s wrist. “The other part of me is glad.” He stared at their hands before looking up to meet Sam’s eyes. “I’d rather know what really happened here instead of just thinking that there was some serial killer out there that managed to get away, Sam. I’m not stupid, I know it won’t be easy to pretend that I don’t know what happened but I’d rather deal with that than be constantly wondering if this was all going to start all over again in the next few months.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” He shifted closer. “And I’d rather know the truth about you too. If I didn’t, I might wonder why the FBI agent I’d met suddenly didn’t have time to make a simple call to me. Maybe see how I’m doing.”

“And now?”

“And now I’ll be wondering about the demon hunter I met, hoping he’s okay.” Ryan shifted and moved so that he was straddling Sam. “And I’m going to hope that he thinks about me while he’s out there on the road.” He leaned forward until their mouths were almost touching, sliding his hands up until they rested on Sam’s neck. “Sam.”

“Ryan, what are you doing?” Sam’s hands automatically moved to Ryan’s hips, holding him in a position they’d both become familiar with days ago.

Ryan let out a slow breath, smirking when Sam shuddered. “I want you,” he said. “I’ve been wanting you and now, I’m doing something about it.” He didn’t wait for a response, instead pressing his mouth against Sam’s. He moaned when Sam didn’t hesitate in responding. He pulled Ryan up against him, quickly pulling Ryan’s shirt up until they had to pull apart to get the shirt over his head. Sam tossed it to the floor and ran his hands over Ryan’s back.

“Ryan,” Sam said against Ryan’s neck.

It was all he had to say. Ryan nodded and pushed at Sam’s shirt. “Yeah,” he told him. He made a sound of frustration when he saw the second shirt under the one he’d just taken off. “Has anyone ever told you that you wear too many layers?”

Sam laughed. “No.”

“Well, you do.” Ryan yanked the other shirt off and dropped it on the bed as Sam fell back, pulling him down as well. They rolled so that Sam was on top and then Sam was working Ryan’s jeans open, urging them and his briefs down until he could pull them all the way off. Sam stepped back, toeing his shoes off, swearing when he stumbled. Ryan laughed. “Graceful.”

“Not all of us are dancers,” Sam shot back as he took off his jeans and boxer briefs, letting them fall to the floor.

Ryan moaned as Sam climbed on top of him, sliding his legs open as he did so. Sam mouthed at Ryan’s inner thigh, letting his fingers brush over Ryan’s dick, smiling when Ryan swore at him. He moved up, biting down on Ryan’s chest lightly.

“Do you have anything?” he asked.

“Drawer.” Without warning, Ryan flipped them over again, causing Sam to swear and grab the edge of the bed to keep them from falling off. Ryan grinned and stretched, relishing in Sam’s groan when the move pressed their hips together. He pulled open the drawer, digging around for a bit before settling over Sam holding a condom and a small tube. When Sam reached for the condom, Ryan shook his head, handing him the tube instead. “No,” was all he said before he slid down Sam’s body, ripping the foil packet open as he did so. He tossed it to the side, before looking up at Sam under his eyelashes.

“Damn it,” Sam breathed when Ryan smirked at him and then partially rolled the condom down over his dick before using his mouth to roll it down the rest of the way.

“I always wanted to try that,” Ryan said. His eyes widened when Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and once again rolled them over, this time moving them away from the edge. He flipped open the lube and spread some over his fingers as Ryan let his legs open.

Sam paused and looked up at him, giving him one last chance to back out. Ryan didn’t bother answering; instead raising an eyebrow as if asking what was taking him so long. Sam grinned and slid one finger, then two into Ryan causing him to hiss.

Ryan’s eyes closed as Sam began to move his fingers, scissoring them to stretch him. He arched his back and bit his lip when curved his fingers a bit.

“Shit,” he gasped, his eyes flying open. “There.” Sam repeated the movement and watched as Ryan pushed back onto his fingers. Sam continuously moved his fingers over that spot, using his free hand to keep Ryan from coming. He groaned when Sam pulled his fingers out and looked down to see him spreading lube over his dick.

He lined up his dick and pushed forward, groaning at the feel of Ryan spreading open around him. “God, Ryan, you feel good,” he said, voice low. Ryan shuddered as Sam bent over him, beginning to thrust as he took Ryan’s mouth, licking it open.

Ryan pulled back. “Harder,” he said, tightening his legs around Sam.

Sam sped up his thrusts, moving his hips faster. Ryan’s dick was trapped between them, leaving a trail of precome with every thrust. Sam wrapped a hand around Ryan, jerking him off in the same rhythm as his thrusts.

“Sam,” Ryan gasped, his muscles clenching around Sam. “Sam!” Sam’s hand around Ryan tightened and he twisted his wrist, moaning when Ryan shouted and bit down on his shoulder as he came.

He continued moving his hand as he thrust a few more times, moaning Ryan’s name as he came and then let himself fall on top of him.

Sam let out a breath as he let go of Ryan, pushing himself up. “I’m crushing you,” he said. Ryan slowly unwrapped his legs from around Sam’s waist.

“Yeah, a bit.” He laughed when Sam narrowed his eyes at him. Carefully, Sam pulled out of him, rolling to the side. He took off the condom and tied it off, tossing it in the trash before he reached down and grabbed Ryan’s shirt, using it to wipe them both clean. Once he’d done that, he shifted until he was lying more comfortably.

“Your bed is small.”

“Maybe you’re just ridiculously tall. My bed is perfect.”

Sam laughed softly and tugged Ryan over so that he was partially sprawled over him. “If you say so,” he said.

“I do say so.” Ryan slipped his leg in between Sam’s. “Now go to sleep.”

~*~*~

Sam sighed as he leaned back against Ryan’s desk, grateful that Ryan had a spare toothbrush for him to use.

It’d be bad enough that he was going to be in the same clothes as the day before. At least his mouth wouldn’t taste like socks on top of that.

Ryan came up to him, putting his hands on his waist and tracing his thumbs along the skin just above Sam’s waistband. “You and Dean are going to be leaving now, aren’t you?”

“We’ve got a job in Wisconsin,” Sam told him. “Poltergeist.”

He took that in and then nodded, smiling up at Sam. “Then I’ve got something for you.” He let go of Sam, reaching around him with his right arm and leaning to the side slightly, feeling around until he found what he wanted. When he pulled back, he was holding a book in his hand.

Sam looked down at it as Ryan handed it to him. “ _Wicked_?” he asked.

“It’s my copy. When we talked about it, you seemed interested.” Ryan looked up. “I figured you’d like it.”

Smiling, Sam turned it over, pausing when he felt something that had been slipped behind the last page. He pulled it out, glancing up at Ryan and holding up the CD.

“And I made that for you so you’d think of me. It’s a mix I made of some of my favorite songs from musicals.” Ryan grinned up at him. “Besides, I bet it’ll drive your brother nuts.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, it will,” he agreed, slipping the CD back into the book. He leaned down and kissed Ryan, softly at first and then deepening it, running his tongue along Ryan’s bottom lip.

They groaned when Sam’s phone went off, signaling that Dean was there. Sam pulled away and straightened.

“I better go before he does more than send a text,” he said. Ryan nodded.

“Yeah.” He squeezed Sam’s hip once before letting go. “If you’re ever in Albuquerque during the summer, call me, okay?”

“I will.” Sam leaned down and kissed Ryan one more time before stepping back and heading for the door. He paused and turned. “Are you really okay?”

Ryan smiled. “I will be.”

Sam stared at him for a few moments and then smiled back before he turned and left the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

~*~*~

Dean turned as Sam slid into the car, his eyebrows lifting. “What is that?”

Sam glanced down and smiled. “A book Ryan gave me.”

He snorted. “Jesus Christ, Sammy. Only you would spend a night getting laid and then leave with a book.”

Silently, Sam vowed to play the mix CD Ryan had made at the next motel they stayed at even as he rolled his eyes.

As they drove away, Sam settled back in his seat, getting more comfortable for the drive they had ahead. “You know, Dean, I hear Albuquerque has a lot of spirit activity in the summer.”

Dean gave Sam a knowing smirk and continued driving.

“Yeah? Then I guess we’ll have to check it out.”

Sam stared at his brother for a few moments and then smiled and opened the book to begin reading.

 _A mile above Oz, the Witch balanced on the wind’s forward edge..._

**Author's Note:**

> The amazing artwork by lightthesparks at LJ: http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/4799.html


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